How to Survive a Naruto Reincarnation

Step 13: Be on Guard

"Nice to meet you, Shino. I'm Hinata's career counselor. What can I do for you?" 

Please say it's nothing, please say it's nothing, please say it's nothing--!

"I need your help finding my brother Torune. Why? Because I can't find him."

Never mind, I'm not getting a vacation. 

Through a pained smile and clenched teeth, I said, "Come on in and let's chat!" 

*****

Hinata had to leave, so Shino came in alone. This did give him the benefit of some privacy to talk about his request. 

As I was brewing the tea and setting out cookies and crackers, Shino opened with: 

"I heard you are on close terms with the Hokage himself." 

"...sure let's call it that." What an unfortunate reputation I have. 

"I also heard that you have secret intel on everybody." 

"...okay?" 

"Where is my brother then?" 

"...Torune's the guy who hosts tons of poisonous beetles or bugs. Danzo liked the ability and added him to his collection of All Naive Baby Underagers--I mean ANBU. A few years down the road, Torune dies during a fight. The end." 

Shino didn't visibly deflate like a cartoonish character, but he did seem noticeably upset. 

"Could you bring him back?" 

"From the dead? No, of course not." 

"No, I mean bring him home now." 

"Oh...Sorry to disappoint, but I'm a civie and not very good at fighting. I also don't have access to inside knowledge and current information on his whereabouts." 

The kid thought about it for a moment. 

Then, "What can I do to bring him home?" 

"Um...kill Danzo." 

"Who's Danzo?" 

"Danzo is says he protects the village from the shadows, but he does a terrible job at it." 

"And how does killing Danzo bring my brother home?" 

"Well, for starters, Danzo is in charge of grooming children. And letting them tragically die. So, he should go bye-bye."

"What is grooming?" Shino asked. 

"Grooming is...teaching questionable things to underdeveloped brains. And then manipulating said brains into doing...said questionable things."

"Oh." I'm pretty sure he doesn't get it. 

"Anyways. Danzo is bad. The end." 

"I see. How do we remove Danzo?" 

"Uh, brute force, probably. I wouldn't know. But also, he's got loyal subordinates. So you'll have to figure out what to do with those people." 

Shino, almost barely audible, answered, "I see. This situation is much greater than I anticipated. This mission to bring my brother home is likely to be unsuccessful if I go in alone. I need others." 

"Oh! If you need someone to join you, ask Sasuke." 

"You mean...Uchiha-san? But why?" 

"He's got a hefty grudge against Danzo and his brother's also involved." 

"I see. Danzo has taken our brothers for seemingly nefarious reasons. Alright. I will see what I can do." He nodded carefully. 

I grinned at him encouragingly. "Glad to be a career counselor." 

*****

I thought that was the end of that side quest. 

I was wrong because Shino showed up again the following day. 

"What can I do for you?" I asked as welcoming as I could be with a very constipated smile. 

"I am asking you to join my mission," he said. "Why? Because you have information that will bring Torune home." 

"I guess I see that line of logic, sure," I deflated. 

Oh sweet,
Oh peaceful,
Solitary rest,
Where hast thou gone?

"Excellent. I have acquired one party member," Shino declared, satisfied with his progress. "We are one step closer to bringing my brother home." 

"Yep."

*****

"But will it be enough to just have Uchiha-san join us? Maybe we should consider--"  

"Shino...don't invade my house in the middle of the night and then interrogate me! Go to bed!" 

*****

Later, at a more socially acceptable time, I found him sitting at the table. I groaned and crawled out of my sleeping bag. 

After fortifying myself, Shino questioned if I knew of other people who would be happy to join his crusade. 

"...Have you asked your teammates?" 

"Kiba has been busy with family affairs. So has Hinata. Therefore, neither are in a balanced position to accept my request." 

"...Right. Honestly, I have no idea." 

"That's most unfortunate." 

I rolled my eyes at him. 

"I reccommend that you keep asking others, but keep it hush-hush. You don't want people thinking you're committing treason."